Hot Wax Takes a Match to the Tetris Playbook, Blending Slow-Burn Puzzle Mechanics with a Touch of Eldritch Menace

Background: A Humming Lead-Up and a PUNKCAKE Pedigree

For a couple of weeks, the writer had been aware of an eerie background humming and hissing. At first, it seemed like tinnitus brought on by one too many listens to Control's Ashtray Maze soundtrack. The real source was a Rock Paper Shotgun regular named quasiotter whispering about Hot Wax, which launches on Steam this week after a spell of Itch.io exclusivity.

The game is the new arcade puzzler from PUNKCAKE Délicieux, otherwise known for inflicting shotguns on chess and forcing letters to wear trousers in the name of archaeology. By PUNKCAKE standards, Hot Wax is relatively straightforward. It is a Tetris-style game in which all blocks are candles. Rather than filling a line on the grid to clear blocks, players plant unpredictably dropped flames on wicks and let them slowly sizzle the mass away. The action takes place in a temple, under the eye of a "not unfriendly" eldritch god.

Development Timeline: Itch.io Exclusivity, Steam Demo, and Tomorrow's Release

Hot Wax spent a spell of Itch.io exclusivity before arriving on Steam. There is still a demo on Steam, and the full release is due tomorrow in Valve's storefront. A release date trailer, "HOT WAX - Game Release Date Trailer", is available on YouTube.

In the demo, the game asks players to line up candles, wick to wick, rather than just filling gaps as in Tetris. Players still need to avoid gaps to slow the filling of the screen. Once a wick is lit, it gradually melts the candle and leaps to any other wicks it touches.

Gameplay and Power-ups: Melting Wax, Bombs, and Acorns

Once a candle is lit, players have to avoid smothering it by unscientifically dunking another candle on top, while trying to take advantage of how the melting wax alters the layout. Power-up items are acquired by sacrificing flames to the "not unfriendly" god. They include bombs that light a bunch of wicks at once, and acorns that sprout a column-filling sapling.

Modes and Current Stage: Score Attack, Endless Play, and Daily Seeded Runs

The full release will include a range of modes, from basic score attack and endless play to a mode where players must melt several painstakingly arranged candles with just one flame. PUNKCAKE Délicieux is also planning daily seeded challenge runs. As with PUNKCAKE Délicieux's output generally, Hot Wax is a visual showcase, with lustrous pixel art and lots of nifty little animations.

At the current stage, Hot Wax is moving from Itch.io exclusivity and a Steam demo into its Steam launch, with the writer thanking quasiotter and telling the background humming to stop going "EEEEEEEE" in their ear.